40 Natural Gas Trucks Added to 99 Cents Only's CA Fleet

The company said these new leased vehicles replace its oldest diesel trucks and give it one of the largest private natural gas fleets in Southern California.

Sep 27, 2012

99 Cents Only Stores® recently announced it has leased 40 new compressed natural gas-powered tractors from Ryder to replace its oldest diesel-burning units. These CNG rigs make its fleet one of the largest private Class-8 CNG fleets in Southern California, according to the company.

"We are pleased to announce that we not only plan to continue offering our valued customers the best selection of products at the lowest possible prices, but have also made a commitment to our community and global environment by converting a significant portion of our delivery trucks to compressed natural gas," said CEO Eric Schiffer. "We expect to reduce the carbon footprint of the fleet and its CO2 emissions by up to 25 percent. This will positively impact both our customers and the communities our stores serve."

The new trucks will be used to make deliveries to the 165 stores in Southern California and to pick up goods from vendors. Ryder also will provide maintenance for the vehicles.

"We are confident that this new equipment is well suited to service our 165 Southern California stores, many of which are in densely populated areas," said Jim Parros, senior vice president of Logistics for the company. "We chose to work with Ryder for a number of key reasons, none more important than our confidence in their capabilities to provide maintenance for the new CNG engine platform and their commitment to service, which is particularly critical when dealing with new technology."

The company was founded in 1982 and has expanded to 302 stores: 221 in California, 37 in Texas, 29 in Arizona, and 15 in Nevada.